Space to Laugh

By Mir-Yashar Seyedbagheri

Nick pines for the bar to open again. It’s been a month.

In the bar, he can sit in soft booths, bathed in dim light. Linger till last call. Snatch people’s laughter behind the pool table.

He can absorb talk of party invitations, girlfriends’ jobs, egregious nicknames, even failed tests.

At home, he has fading blue walls. Linoleum. Collections of Yates and Joyce Carol Oates.

In the evenings, Nick pours beers, savoring the clink of bottles.

Then he turns on sitcoms. Cheers. The Ranch. Community.

Nick hates laugh tracks. But he imagines goofy hugs and rough arms.

Laughter fills spaces.

THE END